For Better or Worse, Mostly Worse
by A Pirate By Any Other Name
Summary: "For better or worse, you are a Hexenbiest now. And I can live with that. You had to learn to live with me being a Grimm, and I can learn to live with this." Juliette stops by the house. Nick tries to convince Juliette to come home, but for her the hurt is too deep and too fresh. Set in Season 4, after and/or during episode 19 "Iron Hands."


He wasn't supposed to be here. Juliette froze in the doorway of the house she had shared with Nick.

"Juliette!" Nick rushed forward to greet her, but she pulled away. He stopped, looking dejected. "Are you coming home?" he asked.

Juliette snorted. It was cute that Nick actually believed that was a possibility right now, after every that had happened. "Just here for a visit."

Nick deflated. "Please, Juliette. I miss you. I want to help you. Come home."

She laughed. "Home? Home to what? Your disgusted stares or looks of fear? To you trying to change who I am? Suddenly you're not the only special one around, so you've got to _fix_ things?"

"Juliette! Don't you see? To me you've always been special. You're powerful, sexy, confident and unafraid of life. You're compassionate and smart and funny and none of that has changed." She blinked, not expecting Nick to be acting this way. Against her will, she felt a familiar warmth tingle throughout her body. Nick let go of her shoulders and stepped away, giving her some space. "It's just this Hexenbiest thing..."

The tingle vanished. "Is making me a monster," Juliette finished for him in the biting, sarcastic tone she'd developed since accepting she'd become Wesen.

"No!" Nick shouted, taking her by surprise. They locked eyes and for a moment neither said anything. Nick shook his head. "No. No Juliette. You're not a monster. Even if you are a Hexenbiest. If either of us is a monster, it's me. Look at what I do. What I've done to our life together."

"Yeah you've done a pretty fantastic job of ruining everything," Juliette said, sarcasm still dripping in her voice. She couldn't believe he was actually admitting to all this. Nick's face fell. She sighed internally. "But you've also helped a lot of people, Nick. A lot of Wesen." Juliette's tone changed to serious, and Nick looked up, hope blossoming on his face. It hurt Juliette to see it, like he still cared.

"I just want to help you, Juliette. I love you."

The earnest look on his face and his pleading eyes told her he spoke the truth, but it still hurt too much to give in. He had hurt her too much.

"You're having a baby with Adalind," she said, unable to keep the plaintive note out of her voice.

A shadow passed over Nick's face like he was having a serious internal struggle.

"I could kill her," Nick half-growled, anger permeating every line in his face.

A thrill of glee ran through Juliette. "So why don't you? That bitch has done her share of ruining our lives."

Nick's shoulders fell and the anger left him. "But the child hasn't," he said, sounding defeated. "Despite the wrongness of it all, the child is innocent."

"_Your_ child," Juliette spat, her bitterness overtaking her.

Nick grimaced. "Yes, my child. But more than that, Adalind says she can help you. That we can repress the biest. We can fix you, Juliette."

"What don't you understand, Nick?" Juliette said, stepping forward. "I like who I am now. Who _you_ made me. I like his power, and I'm not giving it up. You sure didn't for me." She smirked as Nick involuntarily took a step back. Even with all his "I love yous" he was still afraid of her. He couldn't accept what she was.

"No!" Nick said, his voice rising. "It's not taking anything from you, Juliette. For better or worse, you _are_ a Hexenbiest now. And I can live with that. You had to learn to live with me being a Grimm, and I can learn to live with this. But all this bitterness, this anger, this lashing at out random strangers and your friends, that _isn't_ you, Juliette!"

She shook her head. "Words aren't good enough, Nick!" she said, striding towards the door. Why had she come here again? Oh yes. To email Nick's mother and draw her back to Portland. But that would have to wait, and so would that stuffed shirt Royal. Juliette could be in this house, in _their_ house one minute longer.

"Juliette wait!" Nick said, rushing after her. He grabbed for her arm and Juliette released a burst of power, sending him crashing backwards into the hall and slamming into the wall. For an instant remorse filled her, looking at his crumpled body laying on the floor. Then everything came back and she embraced her anger, happy for an escape from her grief.

"Goodbye Nick," she said. Then she left, leaving Nick's unconscious body laying on the floor.


End file.
